Dishonesty can lead to feelings of anxiety and guilt which can trigger cravings for your substance of choice. So it’s important to always examine yourself to ensure you’re comfortable and acting right. One way to keep it simple is to remember to try yourself to `do the next right thing’. Staying sober is usually more challenging than getting sober for anyone trying to recover from addiction. Recovering addicts have a 20% to 50% chance of relapse, and this figure can be as high as 80% for individuals who are trying to quit without professional help. These percentages can vary significantly depending on a person’s motivation for treatment, the degree of accompanying psychosocial stressors, and psychosocial support.
You might be making a major career change or moving into a new home. No matter what the case may be, it is entirely possible to stay sober through all major transitions. Addiction recovery is tough work, and it’s not uncommon to experience slip-ups before achieving complete sobriety.
How can I politely decline an offer for a drink or drugs without revealing my recovery status?
The challenge of staying sober varies in intensity from person to person. For many people, staying sober is impossible without professional medical support. If you can’t avoid a trigger, have a plan in place. Develop coping skills to help you avoid drinking or using drugs in response. At Landmark Recovery, we have inpatient and outpatient programs combining medication-assisted treatment and a range of psychotherapies like CBT. If you have a co-occurring mental health condition, we have dual diagnosis treatment programs to help you address both issues head-on.
These are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants and increase serotonin levels. By Michelle Pugle
Michelle Pugle, MA, MHFA is a freelance health writer as seen in Healthline, Health, Everyday Health, Psych Central, and Verywell. There are some general things you can expect to happen. The following tips are all ways you can help yourself reach your goals.
Tips on Staying Sober
Support groups will typically have others who are going through similar circumstances. Being able to hear about their experiences and knowledge, as well as being able to share your own will make recovery that much easier. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Learning about how to stay sober can be different for everyone. At first, you may not realize that there are certain people, places, or even activities that can make alcohol much more difficult to abstain from.
Column: Staying sober this Christmas, or have a loved one who is? 12 tips to follow – Los Angeles Times
Column: Staying sober this Christmas, or have a loved one who is? 12 tips to follow.
Posted: Mon, 18 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
I set goal after goal, and with each one, I felt my sense of purpose grow. My current goal is to get a book published, and though that might never happen, working toward it gives me a sense of purpose that I just didn’t have when drinking and using. When I started setting major goals for myself in life, I think my life got exponentially better tips to stay sober for a simple reason. My therapist was an incredibly intelligent man who was able to help me see the truth behind so much of what I was struggling with. Without out him, I don’t think I’d be where I am today. I say “reasonable” here because, if you set a schedule that is hard or impossible to stick to, then you’re not going to stick to it.
Staying Sober Can Be Easier When You Practice Gratefulness
So first, define what self-care means to your physical, mental, and spiritual needs. Then, practice those acts of self-care for support with staying sober. I wish that my loved ones went to family therapy. But unfortunately, they did not and continued with enabling behaviors. Furthermore, they didn’t recognize warning signs of substance use. Or how part of addiction treatment is treating the entire family.
Lean into ways you can decompress with simple things like hot showers, Epsom salt baths, breathing exercises, essential oils, and spending time in nature. It’s interesting to have a lot of our go-to modern conveniences stripped away as we are in isolation. Pay attention to what you miss, and what you don’t, for that matter. There can be a sense of curiousness through it all, and it can point you in new directions. And be sure to get outside if you can for some fresh air and sunlight, which can do wonders for your mindset. The good news is that outside is not canceled and neither is our ability to stay active.